Wait continues for Westport Gaelscoil

Westport's Gaelscoil is to begin construction at its new site on the Golf Course Road sometime between April and June of this year according to Minister for Education and Science's Batt O'Keeffe.  This is despite the school's non appearance on the Departments' Schools Building Project list for 2010.

 

Minister O'Keeffe was responding to a Parliamentary Question posed in the Dail by Labour's Education Spokesperson Ruairi Quinn at the request of Westport Town Councillor Keith Martin.

 

According to Minister O'Keeffe "The project to which the Deputy refers was recently tendered. The Design Team is currently addressing a number of post tender clarifications with the preferred bidder. When this process is complete and assuming that no further issues arise the project will proceed to construction. It is anticipated that the project will commence construction in Quarter 2 of 2010."

 

Cllr Martin who has long been an advocate for the school and who famously posted back a sod turned by Minister O'Keeffe on the school's site in the run up to last year's local election says he is adopting a "wait and see" approach to the Minister's promises.

 

According to Cllr Martin "This school has been promised for too long and too many promises have already been broken for me to take this news at face value.  The school has been waiting almost 15 years for a building of its own.  It has proved its success and the pupils and staff deserve their much promised building.

 

"However the story of this school is a series of disappointments by Government.  The school was promised in early 2006 with a delivery date of mid-2007.  It remained in planning limbo for two more years until out of the blue in May 2009 Batt O'Keeffe and Beverly Flynn fly into Westport accompanied by local FF councilors to throw a sod in the air!

 

That sod soon landed with a thud back on the Minister's desk when I posted it back to him.  Its ten months since he threw the sod and there's still no school.  I take the Minister's latest commitment with a tablespoon of salt!  No-one will be happier than I to see that school begin construction but I'm not holding my breath."

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Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182